Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
ISBN: 0525423648
Pages: 384
Year: 2010
Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)
Source: The Wonderful Jen @ Devourer of Books
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary:
Cassia Reyes is as excited as any teenager in The Society on the night of her Match banquet. But when her match – the person she will marry – is announced, she is thrilled. She has been matched with her best friend, Xander. Yet, when she first inserts the disc with her match’s information on it, she doesn’t see Xander but Ky, another boy she knows from her neighborhood. It is supposed to be a mistake, a joke. She is assured that Xander is her match. But she is drawn to Ky more and more. And as she gets to know Ky, she learns that The Society may not be as perfect as she’s been led to believe.
My Thoughts:
Cassia lives in a world where her meals are designed and prepared for her, her career is dictated by authorities, and her future husband is chosen for her. Medicine ensures that everyone lives to an advanced age and only the “best” entertainment remains. Cassia is happy living in The Society. Matched is reminiscent of older dystopian works. It is a society much like The Giver and as regimented as 1984. Dissenters are banished to faraway lands like The Handmaid’s Tale. Yet Matched stands strongly on its own.
I was captivated from the very beginning. The story starts right away. Cassia’s Match banquet and her grandfather’s final banquet (so heartbreaking) occur within the first 100 pages. The world building is left to be woven in throughout.
Cassia is drawn to Ky early but she maintains her faith in The Society and her feelings for Xander. In a life so controlled and closely monitored, Ky and Cassia’s stolen moments in the woods as they’re hiking build tension. Through them we learn, along with Cassia, more about the world of Matched.
My only complaint is that it seemed like I was reading the same thoughts over and over from Cassia. She would think about Ky. Then tell herself not to think about Ky. Only to think about Ky again. But then again, wasn’t that kind of what life was like as a teenager?
I couldn’t help comparing Matched to Delirium, and, although they are each good in their own way, I think if you liked one, you will enjoy the other.
I am anxious for the next book in the series, Crossed
Others’ Thoughts: Po(sey) Sessions; The Worm Hole; That’s What She Read; Take Me Away; Helen’s Book Blog
Buy It Now: Powell’s; Book Depository; IndieBound; Amazon
my books. my life. 
Glad you enjoyed it! I loved the world building so much in this book, and agree about Delirium and Matched being similarly good. I read Delirium after Matched and was glad that although they were similar both provided different food for thought.
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I really really enjoyed Delirium, and I do have this one on my shelves. Just…I’m scattered, you know. Is it a quick read? Would it be good for the readathon? I’ve got some shorter books set aside, but sometimes they aren’t the quickest reads.
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I think it would make a good readathon book. It moves pretty quickly.
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If you don’t do it during the Readathon, Sandy, you should get the audio. VERY good.
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Oh, this book sounds really interesting! I think I’d like to read it! 🙂 Thanks!
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Great review! Now see I’ve yet to read Delirium so my recommendation of another read in a similiar vein would be WITHER. Read MATCHED several months back and just wow…had be from the start. It’s not about the action, it’s about the realizations and connections. Waiting impatiently much like you for book 2. Thanks for sharing…and happy reading!
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Any book whose review can positively allude to both The Giver and 1984 (two of my all-time favorites) is something I need to check out. I tell ya, well-executed dystopia is good for the mind and the soul.
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Wonderful review, Michelle! I read ‘Matched’ sometime back and loved it! I thought Allie Condie’s prose was exquisite and I read the book just for that. I also liked the premise behind the book (I don’t read many dystopian novels and so I haven’t read any of the ones that you have mentioned) and I liked the tension and the sparks flying in the story. Like you, I can’t wait for the next volume in the series to come out!
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Fabulous review, and I’m not just saying that because I completely agree with your assessment of the book =)
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I fell in the middle on this one. I couldn’t quite connected with Cassia and Ky as a couple. He seemed more brotherly to me. I would have liked to have seen more Xander in the story as well. I’m hopeful that relationship will be further explored in book two.
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I loved this one right after I read it, but the more I think about it, the more I don’t love it. I still am looking forward to the next book though!
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